Dec. 4, 2004

Stats

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Raymond Hines' 1-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds left in the game helped lift James Madison to a 14-13 win over second-seeded Furman in NCAA I-AA quarterfinal round playoff action Saturday at Paladin Stadium.

Hines' decisive run off right tackle on a fourth-and-goal play and David Rabil's PAT capped a 12-play, 74-yard drive for the Dukes (11-2), who will now face Atlantic 10 Conference foe William & Mary in semifinal round playoff action next Friday in Williamsburg, Va. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. Furman finishes its season with a 10-3 record.

"You have to give Mickey Matthews and James Madison a lot of credit, they've won a lot of games in the fourth quarter this year, and they made one more play today than we did," said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. "We just didn't do a good enough job in the kicking game, and I take the blame for that."

James Madison's Isaiah Dottin-Carter blocked a punt by Furman's Bo Moore in the second quarter to set up a Hines 5-yard run in the second period and give JMU a 7-0 lead.

With the game tied 7-7 early in the third quarter, the Paladins' Cedrick Ritter sacked quarterback Justin Rascati, whose fumble on the play was recovered by Mike Killiam at the JMU 17. Three plays later Furman went ahead 13-7 on a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ingle Martin to Brian Bratton with 12:55 to go. Freshman Scott Beckler, however, missed the PAT.

On its next possession, Furman missed its best chance to take control of the contest when, after driving 91 yards from its own 8-yard line, redshirt freshman tailback Cedrick Gipson was stripped of the football at the JMU 1 by the Dukes' Bruce Johnson, and it was recovered by Clint Kent at the 5:25 juncture.

Still clinging to a 13-7 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Furman covered 55 yards in seven plays to the JMU 26, but Demetrius Shambley blocked Beckler's 45-yard field goal try with 5:11 to go.

From that point the Dukes were assessed two penalties that pushed the ball back to the 14, but Rascati rallied his team by connecting with D.D. Boxley on back-to-back passes covering 16 and 11 yards for a first down to the 41. After a run for no gain, Rascati connected with Nic Tolley for 22 yards the Furman 37 and, two plays later, hooked up with L.C. Baker for 15 yards to the Furman 22. A 14-yard pass to Ardon Bransford gave the Dukes a first down at the 8. A two-yard Hines run to the 6, and a Rascati scramble for four yards to the 2 on third down led to Hines' run off left tackle to the 1, setting up a fourth-and-goal play. After a Furman timeout, Hines bounced off right tackle into the end zone for the game tying score with 28 seconds left.

Furman outgained James Madison 331-304. The Paladins rushed for 141 yards to the Dukes' 128 and posted a slight 190-176 advantage in passing. Rascati led all rushers with 67 yards on 15 carries and completed 16-of-22 passes in the contest. After rushing for 191 yards in the Dukes' 14-13 first round playoff victory over Lehigh, Hines managed only 46 yards on 21 carries against Furman, but the junior from Hyattsville, Md., delivered both JMU scores.

Furman was paced by Gipson with nine rushes for 60 yards. Martin completed 13-of-22 passes, including six for 81 yards to senior Brian Bratton, who finishes his career with 131 catches for 1,826 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Trey Townsend topped JMU's defensive effort with 10 tackles, a sack, and pass deflection.

Furman got a game high 12 tackles, a tackle-for-loss, and fumble recovery from Mike Killian, and Roy Ravenell chipped in 12 tackles, a tacke-for-loss, a pass deflection, and a sack.